'Each year the Woodlands Cabernet Sauvignon is named after a family member or friend. The 2019 vintage is named 'Ruby Jane' after Elizabeth and Ben's daughter, and granddaughter of Heather and David. Ruby has grown to be a kind, outgoing and happy young human -who loves princesses, reading, and playing with her little sister Ellie. Our Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from our original plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Cabernet Franc found on our south facing slope. The soil profile of this slope is generally sandy loam over gravel and clay. These four small plots receive the greatest number of sunlight hours on our vineyard, but the east-west orientation of the vines ensures a slow fruit maturation. 2019 was a classic year for Margaret River, avoiding both extremes of heat and of rainfall. In fact, 2019 was indeed very close to the average vintage conditions of Margaret River in the 1980's and 1990's. These mild conditions were ideal for flavour development and retention of acidity, enabling more picking dates to pinpoint ripeness. Our 2019's are showing wonderful brightness, delicacy and balance, and our Cabernet Sauvignon is the prime example. Handpicked between 18 March and 17 April, the fruit was destemmed, hand sorted, crushed and fermented in small stainless steel fermenters. 70% of the wine fermented without the addition of yeast. Following fermentation, the Cabernet Sauvignon portions remained on skins for an average of 21 days, before being pressed and transferred to new French barriques. The wine was bottled unfiltered on the 28th January 2021. Our 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon 'Ruby Jane' is a blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Malbec, and 1% Cabernet Franc. 2019 'Ruby Jane' has a deep crimson, dense ruby colour. The nose is beautifully aromatic -violet leaps out immediately, followed by star anise, dark cherries and black berries, with notes of sandalwood and dried herbs. Earthy and complex, this wine smells of its soil. The palate is modern and aristocratic. Boldly feminine and elegant -the palate features soft juicy, bright red fruits and dark cherries, then liquorice, dried tea leaves and cloves emerge, leading to violet on the finish. Wonderful balance. Our 2019 is more approachable than it's siblings the 2018 and 2020 vintages. We recommend cellaring this wine for at least another 8 years, best enjoyed between 2028 to 2035. Pair with: Braised wagyu beef short ribs with XO sauce and twice roasted, rosemary crusted royal blue potatoes. Or try vegetarian cacciatore filled with potatoes, mushrooms, beans and olives.
